US initial jobless claims fall by 1,000

By Ovunc Kutlu

ISTANBUL (AA) – The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims fell by 1,000 last week to 202,000, according to the Labor Department data released on Thursday.

The figure came in lower than market estimates of 210,000, while the previous week's reading was revised up by 1,000 from 202,000 to 203,000.

The four-week moving average was 207,750, a decrease of 250 from the previous week's revised average.

The US economy added 216,000 jobs in December, while the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 3.7%.